


Tired

by WhoreForFluff



Series: Jobs Far Superior to Police Officer [2]
Category: EastEnders (TV)
Genre: Ben Mitchell Loves Callum "Halfway" Highway, Comfort, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, M/M, Paramedic Callum "Halfway" Highway, Sleepy Cuddles, Sleepy Kisses, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-29
Updated: 2020-06-29
Packaged: 2021-03-03 18:41:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24980230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhoreForFluff/pseuds/WhoreForFluff
Summary: Callum walked through the door, bone tired. He'd responded to15 calls during what had turned into a 14hr shift, and wanted nothing more than to curl up in bed with his boyfriend.Callum is tired from a long, hard days work as a paramedic but Ben knows just how to take care of him.
Relationships: Ben Mitchell & Lexi Pearce, Callum "Halfway" Highway & Ben Mitchell & Lexi Pearce, Callum "Halfway" Highway & Lexi Pearce, Callum "Halfway" Highway/Ben Mitchell
Series: Jobs Far Superior to Police Officer [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1808164
Comments: 10
Kudos: 61





	Tired

**Author's Note:**

> All dialogue in italics is being signed!
> 
> This took me a month of writing on and off to make and then I fully forgot about if for another month sbsbsbsb
> 
> Anyways, I'm not deaf and I dont know any deaf people irl so I tried my best to research cochlear implants and read accounts from deaf people, but ofc first hand knowledge is always going to be more accurate so if theres any inaccuracies please tell me!

Callum walked through the door, bone tired. He'd responded to _15_ calls during what had turned into a 14hr shift, and wanted nothing more than to curl up in bed with his boyfriend.

He toed off his shoes and dropped his heavy, high-vis coat onto a kitchen chair, feeling on the brink of collapse. Dragging his feet he shuffled through the hallway to the living room. Ben was sitting on the couch in front of the muted TV, sound processor off seeing as it was about time to go to bed. Callum sluggishly moved across the room and collapsed onto the sofa, then fell back and rested his head on Ben's lap.

"Well hello there" Ben said, hand going to rest on Callum's chest. Callum grabbed it in his own, gratefully, eyes closed. "You're home late, it's gone ten"

 _"Sorry"_ Callum twisted so he lying on his side, face nuzzled into Ben's stomach. The hand on his chest moved to hang around his upper back, and he felt another dig into his hair and start playing with it. He hummed happily.

"Tired?" Ben asked softly, and Callum knew he had his boyfriend's undivided attention without even having to look up. He just nodded instead of audibly confirming, being both mindful that Ben couldn't hear him and lacking the energy to even speak.

"Aw" Ben cood, rubbing Callum's back "you just have a rest then, ya big baby"

They stayed in silence for a while, Callum enjoying the calm while ben watched TV and played with Callum's hair.

Although Callum adored his job, forever glad he switched to emergency medicine from policing, he couldn't deny how much it tired him. Working in London he was almost always rushed off his feet, responding to more violent attacks and ODs than he could count. He had always thought the army would be the most tiring experience of his life, but for him it could hardly compare to the exhaustion he felt after shifts like the one he'd had that day.

What made it all doable was coming home to Ben. The knowledge that he had the love and care of his boyfriend to look forward to at home made him able to push past his fatigue and get to the next call, to treat another patient, to save another life.

It made him grateful for what they had.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by Ben asking him if he was hungry, and his empty stomach answering for him. They laughed, and Callum opened his eyes and hauled himself up into a sitting position, snaking an arm around Ben's waist. Ben's arm moved to wrap around his shoulders, holding him close.

"I could heat up mine and Lexi's leftovers if you want?" Ben offered, rubbing Callum's arm comfortingly.

Callum nodded his head, and let it fall onto Ben's shoulder, eyes closing again.

"You'll have to let me up babe" Ben chuckled, trying to push Callum off. Callum whined and snuggled further into Ben's neck, his hands grabbing at Ben's free one.

Ben sighed, amused by his boyfriend's actions. "Who said you could be this cute, huh?" He asked, dropping a kiss onto Callum's head, making the other smile happily.

Ben pulled Callum back with a hand on his jaw. Looking him in the eye he said "I know you're tired, and I swear I don't want anything more than to stay on this couch and cuddle with you, but I also know you haven't eaten anything since breakfast" he punctuated his statement by gently shaking Callum, much to the annoyance of his sleepy boyfriend.

Callum groaned, knowing Ben was right. Ben knew he never usually had a chance to have lunch, today even less so. Knowing he was beaten he slowly detangled himself from Ben's embrace, and rested his head on the back of the couch.

"I'll be back in a minute babe" Ben reassured, before pecking Callum's tired lips, and quickly walking through to the kitchen, eager to feed his hardworking boyfriend.

At some point he drifted off into a dreamless sleep. It was one of those sleeps that you fell into by telling yourself you were only going to rest your eyes for a moment, that you definitely wouldn't let yourself fall asleep, and the next thing you knew time had suddenly skipped forward while you were non the wiser. When he opened his eyes it was suddenly fifteen minutes into the future and Ben was standing in front of him, a plate of food in one hand and a beer in the other.

"Come on sleepy head, eat up" Ben said, placing the plate on Callum's lap, and sitting down onto couch, hand resting on Callum's upper thigh.

 _"Thanks"_ Callum signed, shifting himself more upright. He began eating lethargically, barely registering that it was his own spaghetti bolognese recipe.

"Lexi was missing you so I thought I'd make her your spag bol" Ben informed him, head resting on Callum's shoulder and as his hand massaged his boyfriend's aching thigh.

Callum's heart wept a little hearing Lexi missed him. His shifts had been starting around the time she woke up and ending close to her bed time for past few days, so he'd barely seen her lately. It did give him a bit of comfort to know that at least his food could still be with her.

 _"My day off is tomorrow, I could do drop off and pick up if she'd like?"_ Callum signed, hands stumbling in the middle as his tired mind tried to remember the right movements.

"Thought you'd want a lie in after the last few shifts you've had" Ben said warmly, before snuggling in closer.

 _"No no"_ Callum signed, resting his head on Ben's, _"I'd rather spend time with her"_

Ben chuckled softly "trading in a warm bed for time with that little whirlwind, you really do love her, huh?" He finished, voice dripping with adoration, and lifted up Callum's hand and kissed it. Callum could feel the love seeping into his skin, warming him from the inside out.

 _"Of course, who wouldn't?"_ Callum sat his empty plate onto the floor and turned so that he was facing Ben and brought him in for a kiss. It was gentle, and neither of them had any intentions of making it go further, just content to sit on the couch and tell each other they loved one another through action rather than words.

As they traded kisses in between smiles Callum heard little footsteps walk up to the door and creak open. He turned his head towards it, making Ben whine, eyes still closed. Callum tapped just under his eyes softly to make him open them, the discontent melting off his face when he did and saw Lexi standing at the door.

"Hey darling, you alright?" Callum asked, as Lexi walked over to them, teddy in one hand and the other reaching out to Callum. He hauled her onto his lap.

"Why aren't you asleep, princess?" Ben asked, his hand coming up to rub her arm comfortingly.

 _"I can't"_ she clumsily signed, her lethargic movements and drooping eyes betraying her words.

Ben and Callum exchanged a glance, both knowing the true cause.

"And this has nothing to do with you hearing Callum come in?" Ben asked as his daughter guiltily avoided his and Callum's eyes.

She shifted in Callum's lap and layed her head on his chest _"Maybe."_

Callum wrapped his arms around her in a big hug and dropped a kiss to her head  
"Why dont you sleep in our bed tonight?" he asked her quietly, watching as her eyes slipped shut. She nodded, clutching her teddy and relaxing into Callum.

"What did you...?" Ben asked, before Callum told him what he said, hands bit restrained by holding Lexi's boneless body at the same time.

"Well, we'd better get you two sleepybones to bed then" Ben stood up, and pulled up Callum while he held onto Lexi with one arm.

Quietly, they all went upstairs, each falling into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> If you have any suggestions for other jobs you think Callum would be more suited for pls let me know!
> 
> I'm bisexualballum on tumblr so come say hey if you want!


End file.
